LOWER POTTSGROVE — The radar screeches as it registers the speed of passing cars. Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Richard Schroeter listens to the changing pitch while he sits in an unmarked car on the side of Bleim Road.

In the past eight months, Lower Pottsgrove Police have seen an increase in the frequency of accidents on Bleim Road, according to Police Chief Michael Foltz said.

“I am hoping to get the message across to the public to be more aware of their speed, be more aware of the conditions of the roadways and to be respectful of others’ safety when they are out traveling,” Foltz said.

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Between January 2011 and January 2013 there have been 22 reported accidents on the road. A majority of those accidents have been in the past year. In the last five years, there has been one fatal accident on Bleim Road.

“Bleim is a primary route that people use to get from one side of the township to the other. With that we do have a heavy traffic flow,” Foltz said. “We are trying to increase the patrols here and get the message out that especially on these side roads you need to travel at a reasonable speed and follow the posted speed limits.”

The officers conducting the detail on Friday issued 19 total violations between 2 and 5 p.m., 17 of those were for excessive speed.

Even though Foltz considers the speed detail a success, he is not focused on the number.

“I’m not focused so much on the number, as I am on the message,” Foltz said. “I’d like to see lower numbers because that means there is more compliance.”

Currently, the police department is using an electronic timing system to determine the speed. The device is similar to a stopwatch and will calculate the speed a car is going by using an equation of distance between two markers and the time it took a car to travel that distance.

Using a directional radar is more effective in a speed detail, Foltz said.

“The optimal place for the radar to calculate a car’s speed is directly in the front or directly in the back. Not on the side,” Schroeter said.

On Friday, anyone driving 12 miles over the posted 35 mile per hour speed limit was pulled over. If Schroeter’s radar detected a high speed, he used the portable radio in his car to contact patrol cars located on other side streets.

“I will call out the direction of the vehicle, the make and color and the occupants the best that I can,” Schroeter explained.

Foltz said the curvy design of Bleim Road, in combination with excessive speeds and the winter weather, can create dangerous driving conditions.

This will not be the only speed detail the police will conduct this year. Foltz said that there will be a monthly initiative along with the daily patrols.